U.S. FDA to speed review of medical products used by military

Jan 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Defense launched a program on Tuesday to speed up the development of drugs that could be used by military personnel.

The move follows a controversy over whether the Pentagon should be allowed to authorize the emergency use of drugs and medical devices that have not been approved by the FDA.

The new program is part of a law authorizing the Department of Defense to request FDA assistance in expediting its review of products that will diagnose or treat serious or life-threatening conditions facing military personnel.

The FDA said it would work closely with the defense department to understand the military’s medical needs for deployed personnel and accelerate the development and review process for those products.